TCS Installation Completed on the Covington Subdivision!

Effective April 22, 2006, the entire Covington Subdivision of the CSXT Shenandoah Division now operates under Traffic Control System (TCS) rules from MC Cabin to the north end of Covington. Direct Traffic Control (DTC) rules no longer apply to the Covington Subdivision. Yard limit rules continue to be in effect from MC Cabin south through the Salem Terminal.

In order to complete the installation of TCS on the north end of the Covington Subdivision, CSX signal maintainers first had to install the third (of three) Digitrax SE8C signal controller. This SE8C is located under the Market Street Union Station area in Salem, and it controls signals and switch motors in Covington and eventually in the Salem Terminal. This work was done from April 13-16, 2006.

Once the third SE8C had been installed, the signal maintainers proceed to install the switch motor and signals at the south end of Covington from April 16-18, 2006. The signal maintainers then turned their attention to the northernmost OS section on the Covington Subdivision at the north end of Covington. The switch motor and signals were installed here from April 19-22, 2006.

After the signal maintainers finished their field work, the chief signal engineer then defined the switch motor and signal addresses for both SE Covington and NE Covington in the configuration file for the CATS dispatcher panel, and ran some functional tests of the newly installed OS sections for the TCS system.

Upon successful completion of the testing, management declared the TCS installation project for the Covington Subdivision done on April 22, 2006. However, one set of intermediate signals will be installed in Carpenter, Va. at a future date.

(Editorial note: Previous Progress Reports from 12/11/2005,  01/16/2006, and 04/11/2006 covered other portions of the installation of TCS on the Covington Subdivision of the CSX Shenandoah Division.)
 

(Editorial note: the work shown in this progress report was completed from April 13-22, 2006, but the pictures were not taken until May 7, 2006.)

The third SE8C is located under the Market Street Union Station in Salem, Va. near Roanoke Junction. This board currently controls signals and switch motors for two OS sections: SE Covington, and NE Covington. Eventually, this board will control portions of the Salem Terminal as well.

 

TCS signal and switch motor installation at the south end (SE) of Covington.

TCS signal and switch motor installation at the north end (NE) of Covington. This location is the last OS section on the visible portion of the Covington Subdivision.